Firm Profile > Global Law Office > Beijing, China

Banking and finance: PRC firms Tier 1

Global Law Office has a well-developed and highly active banking and finance practice, which spans bilateral and syndicated loans, project and acquisition finance, as well as asset finance and bond issuances. Clients mainly comprise domestic and international financial institutions, as well as major borrowers. The department is jointly led by Lawrence Lin and Xin Zhang. In a major transaction during the pandemic, Li Zhu and Zhang advised New Development Bank on the issuance of the first Coronavirus Combating Bonds, designed to facilitate the Emergency Assistance Programme Loans offered by the PRC government. May Liu is another name to note, specialising in aircraft and vessel financing, as well as trade finance. Miller Wang focuses on cross-border financing transactions, advising domestic and overseas corporates.

Dispute resolution: Arbitration: PRC firms Tier 1

The team at Global Law Office consists of experienced arbitration counsel and arbitration panellists, who act for domestic and foreign entities in international arbitration forums including CIETAX HKIAC, BIAC and SIAC. The group is most noted for representing financial institutions, including commercial banks and asset management groups. Co-leading the group are international arbitration specialist Yifeng Gao and Xiusong Xing, who serves as vice chairman of the arbitration and alternative dispute resolution committee of the ICC in China. Jingye Jiang is the name to note for maritime and shipping arbitration. Based in Shenzhen, Jack Law is building a solid practice representing SOEs in arbitrations involving foreign-related contracts. Of counsel Heng Wang is increasingly strong for international arbitrations concerning equity financing and international sales of goods.

Healthcare and life sciences: PRC firms Tier 1

Global Law Office has a well-established presence and displays expertise across the full spectrum of healthcare and life sciences. Key areas of strength include drug research and development, M&A of privately owned hospitals, biotechnology, and medical devices. The practice advises multinationals as well as both domestic and international investment funds. Shanghai-based practice head Alan Zhou 'provides practical and solution-oriented advice'. Zhou has a strong background in M&A, private equity/venture capital, and regulatory compliance. Michael Yu heads the Beijing team and displays a high level of expertise in M&A and private equity investments in the life sciences and healthcare sector. Coco Fan is also noted and advises clients on corporate, compliance and M&A issues.

Projects and energy: PRC firms Tier 1

The construction and engineering team at Global Law Office is active at every stage of projects in China and abroad, advising investors, developers and contractors in projects involving power generation, mining, oil and gas and infrastructure. Energy and mining projects are a particular area of expertise, and lawyers have experience in transactions globally. The group is co-headed by Zhongcheng Wang (a disputes lawyer with a specialism in construction and energy cases), corporate generalist Miller Wang, hospitality industry expert Jason Wang and energy and mining-focused Shifang Guo. Minghao Xu is noted for real estate acquisitions.

TMT: PRC firms Tier 1

The team at Global Law Office has significant experience in the TMT space, representing clients in contentious IP issues, and advising on transactional and operational issues, including private equity investments, debt financing, IP licensing and transfer. The group is also well-versed in cybersecurity and data protection compliance. In Beijing, the practice heads are Jinrong Liu and Meph Jia Gui. In Shanghai, the group is led by private equity and venture capital expert Steven Yu and Vincent Wang, who specialises in issues related to technology manufacturing, telecoms and e-commerce. Maggie Meng has significant TMT expertise, particularly concerning regulatory matters, data protection and privacy; she has also built a strong fintech practice.

Antitrust and competition: PRC firms Tier 2

The team at Global Law Office is jointly led by Qing Ren and John Wan (both of whom previously worked at MOFCOM), former intellectual property judge Ying Mu and general competition law expert Shujun Liu. The group advises domestic and foreign clients on the spectrum of contentious and non-contentious antitrust and competition issues, including merger filings, cartel investigations and competition litigation. Lili Wu is making a name for herself in investigations and competition compliance.

Capital markets: PRC firms Tier 2

Global Law Office has a well-established capital markets team that handles domestic and overseas deals, with particular expertise in structured transactions for underwriters and issuers for debt and equity matters. In Beijing, the main contacts are Jinrong Liu, Xin Zhang, Wei Qin and Wen Li; and in Shenzhen, Cheng Li. Haishan Sun is up-and-coming within the department and has built a strong practice in offshore IPOs. Xing Jin is regularly instructed on securitisations and derivative transactions.

Corporate and M&A: PRC firms Tier 2

Global Law Office handles public and private M&A transactions, with a specialism in advising state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in their cross-border activities. Other areas of expertise include foreign investment, industrial compliance and SOE regulations. The department is jointly led by Beijing's Jinrong Liu and Alex Liu, Shanghai's George Wang and Shifang Guo in Shenzhen; all of whom have experience in cross-border M&A and private equity transactions. Shenzhen managing partner Cheng Li is another partner of note with corporate restructuring expertise; while the managing partner of the Shanghai office Yu Zhang has a significant M&A practice.

Data protection: PRC firms Tier 2

The team at Global Law Office is able to draw on deep expertise in the TMT space to advise clients on data regulatory compliance and risk control issues. Services offered include data audits, advice on data security, data management and global data transfers, as well as government and internal investigations into privacy risks. Practice co-head Maggie Meng is a cyber security and data protection specialist, with experience in the implementation of data compliance programmes. Steven Zhu is another regulatory compliance expert who regularly advises multinationals and Chinese corporates on data privacy and security matters. With broader expertise in the TMT sector, Vincent Wang also leads the team, which includes fellow corporate-generalist Alan Zhou.

Dispute resolution: Litigation: PRC firms Tier 2

Global Law Office's litigation team is noted for its representation of financial entities in a range of litigation, as well as Chinese and international corporates in commercial litigation, particularly relating to the asset management and securities markets. Jingye Jiang is part of the core litigation team, handling cases involving shipping, insurance and construction projects. Zhao Li's practice consists of employment and labour disputes. Jiuguang Zhao is another seasoned litigation, with extensive experience in corporate control, M&A, finance and Sino-foreign joint venture disputes. The group is co-led by Yifeng Gao and Xiusong Xing.

Fintech: PRC firms Tier 2

Global Law Office covers a broad range of contentious matters, including dispute resolution and intellectual property, as well as a wide range of non-contentious issues such as public offering of shares and debt financing. The team has significant expertise in private equity and venture capital deals in the fintech space. Steven Yu and Vincent Wang are the Shanghai-based practice heads and Jinrong Liu and Maggie Meng head the team from Beijing.

Investment funds: PRC firms Tier 2

Global Law Office has expertise in a range of funds from private equity, venture capital, private funds of funds to sovereign wealth funds. The practice has strong industry knowledge including pharmaceutical and healthcare, life sciences, medical care, telecommunications, new energy and semiconductors. Key areas of work include advising on the formation, fundraising, management, investment and exit phases of private equity funds. Amy Dai has a strong background in fund formation, M&A, PE and VC funds, and outbound investments. Yuan Yuan is also noted and advises key players in the domestic private equity market.

Private equity: PRC firms Tier 2

Global Law Office's team is heavily involved in advising foreign and domestic venture capital and private equity houses on their portfolio investments in China, as well as fund formation and regulatory issues. The group is most known for its expertise in the TMT sector, although it is also well-versed in the education, healthcare, financial services and consumer goods industries. The department is jointly led by seasoned private equity lawyers Steven Yu and Jeffrey Zhu, both of whom have extensive transactional experience. Managing partner Jinrong Liu is another key practitioner alongside Huawei Lin. In 2019, the practice added a group of lawyers from Dentons China including Yuan Yuan .

Real estate and construction: PRC firms Tier 2

The real estate and construction team at Global Law Office provides a full service to domestic and international clients. The group is instructed on the design, financing, bidding and tendering of construction projects, as well as real estate M&A, estate management and dispute resolution. Minghao Xu  is noted for real estate acquisitions and developments. Other key figures on the team are transactional lawyers Huawei Lin and Jason Wang, investment and financing expert Kevin Wang, infrastructure specialist Miller Wang.

Regulatory/compliance: PRC firms Tier 2

Global Law Office has an extensive client offering advising on risk assessment, compliance policy, training, and investigations. Corporate investigation and anti-bribery are particular areas of expertise. The practice handles compliance issues in a wide range sectors including healthcare, technology, and manufacturing. The firm is a founding party of the Association of China Compliance Professionals which further illustrates the team's expertise. Alan Zhou has an established background in pharmaceuticals and healthcare, and co-heads the compliance practice with Weiwei Gu, who specialises in dispute resolution and employment.

Shipping: PRC firms Tier 2

Global Law Office has a long history in the shipping sector and advises on contentious and non-contentious matters across the industry. The team is based in several locations including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzen, and Chengdu. In addition, the team has a strong international presence and acts on many multi-jurisdictional matters. Yifeng Gao heads the practice and leads the team with co-heads Jingye Jiang and Ting Lei.

WTO/international trade: PRC firms Tier 2

Global Law Office has a broad client offering and has particular expertise advising clients on antidumping, countervailing, and safeguard investigations. The team also handles both inbound and outbound trade remedy cases. The firm advises clients in a range of industries including petrochemical, steel, paper, textiles, and agricultural products. Frank Hang co-heads the practice in Beijing and has a strong background in inbound and outbound antidumping and countervailing investigations. Qing Ren also heads the Beijing team and advises on trade policies, export control and economic sanction matters. Shanghai-based practice head Deming Zhao focuses on corporate and regulatory compliance.

Labour and employment: PRC firms Tier 3

Global Law Office act for an extensive client base of multinationals and has a strong cross-border employment practice. The team advises clients on compliance, mass-layoffs and transfers, litigation and other employment-related matters. Zhao Li heads the team in Beijing and has a high level of expertise in labour and employment arbitration cases. Shanghai-based practice head Weiwei Gu also has a strong background in dispute resolution.

Intellectual property: PRC firms

Global Law Office has a strong contentious offering and handles cases that reach the Supreme People's Court and provincial-level high courts. The practice advises on high-value, and often, high-profile litigation cases involving patents, trade marks, copyright and unfair competition. The team also has a broad non-continues/transactional practice. Key points of contact include Ying Mu, Ping Qiao, and Jack Zhanke Li, who handles patent/ technology licensing, and portfolios management in addition to litigation. Also a central team member, Meph Jia Gui led on a trade secrets case involving damages of RMB0.27 billion.

Regional coverage: Other notable firms in Shenzhen

Shenzhen is one of China’s fastest growing city and has been nicknamed as China’s ‘Silicon Valley’ where it is home to the country’s leading technology companies. The country’s leading and oldest Special Economic Zone can be found in Shenzhen and as a result, has attracted substantial foreign investment. Technology and financial services are important industries in Shenzhen, as well as its logistics and cultural sectors. The city has the third highest GDP in the country and houses the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. As a key economic and technology hub, many of the leading Chinese law firms can be found in the city such as King & Wood Mallesons, Zhong Lun Law Firm, JunHe and Global Law Office.